Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Sarah Johnson

Survivors of disfiguring condition hail addition to WHO neglected diseases list

Flora Doume (centre), a young woman suffering from the noma disease, waits at the Rochelle private clinic in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, before undergoing reconstructive surgery.
Flora Doume (centre), a young woman with noma disease, waits at the Rochelle clinic in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, before undergoing reconstructive surgery. Photograph: Sia Kambou/AFP/Getty

For the first time in six years a new condition has been added to the World Health Organization’s list of neglected tropical diseases.

Noma, a disfiguring disease that is fatal in 90% of cases without treatment, is the first disease to be added to the list since 2017 and joins 20 conditions that affect more than 1 billion people living in impoverished communities.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.